The Coaching Academy Blog

I am continually amazed at the power of coaching and feel privileged to be part of such an amazing skill base that lifts people lives and helps them be all that they wish to be.

I recently had the opportunity to provide ad hoc coaching to a person that I met at a Toastmasters’ meeting, which I attend on a regular basis to develop my ability as a public speaker .

We got chatting about his upcoming interview with the selection panel at Oxford University. He had submitted twelve dissertations to date and had been invited for a final selection interview. He was very apprehensive and nervous about how to approach the interview and how to win over the panel.

We discussed his areas of concern and worked through developing a ‘Circle of Excellence’ , adding in all the resources that he felt he needed in order to feel confident. We only ran through the process twice as time was limited.

We then discussed how he could develop rapport with the board quickly and effectively by matching body language, postures, gestures ,vocal quality etc.

We then parted ways and I all but forgot about his interview on the following Monday.

Two weeks passed and I received a call from him saying that the interview had been tough, grilling and daunting. They had questioned him about why they should select him when they receive thousands of applications to join Oxford University. They asked lots of grueling questions, including what were his weaknesses, which was the question that had been causing him the most concern before we prepared.

It did not sound too good.

Then he dropped the bombshell and said that he had actually been accepted, and he felt that it was my coaching that had greatly helped him win over the panel. He said ‘It was BRILLIANT’ and hoped that I didn’t mind that he had made his confidence circle into a square! As if I would, I love the inventiveness of my clients!

He has kindly sent me a testimonial:

“Thank you for your support through my interview with Oxford for the integrated MSc and Phd programme. The insight that you provided and your tips about the confidence circle have been highly effective. Without your enthusiasm and knowledge I would have struggled to achieve the positive results attained. “  Bosco Nevis

Wow! It just shows you what can be achieved in 15 minutes of coaching!

By Debbie Robinson
Top Performance Coaching